As we wrap up this decade, it’s time to finally rewind the past 11 1/2 months and listen to what knocked my socks off this year. Welcome to the best music of 2009:
The Best Discs of 2009
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart/ Higher Than The Stars EP
Franz Ferdinand, Tonight
Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster
The Horrors, Primary Colours
Mew, No More Stories Are Told Today
The Editors, In This Light And On This Evening
Basement Jaxx, Scars
The Big Pink, A Brief History Of Love
Lily Allen, It’s Not Me It’s You
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The Best Singles of 2009
Phoenix– 1901
Lady Gaga– Bad Romance
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart– Young Adult Friction
The Big Pink– Dominos
Basement Jaxx– Raindrops
Silversun Pickups– There’s No Secrets This Year
Lily Allen– Fuck You
Franz Ferdinand– Ulysses
Kelly Clarkson– I Do Not Hook Up
Radiohead– These Are My Twisted Words
Muse– Uprising
Metric– Help I’m Alive
Polvo– Beggars Bowl
Yeah Yeah Yeahs– Zero
Pet Shop Boys– Love Etc
Thom York– FeelingPulledApartByHorses
Atlas Sound featuring Noah Lennox– Walkabout
The Gossip– Heavy Cross
Best Reissue: Jawbox, For Your Own Special Sweetheart
Best Guilty Pleasure: anything by the cast of Glee
When Mediocre Albums Happen Award: (Tie) Doves, Kingdom of Rust & Depeche Mode, Sounds of the Universe. Both had such promise…Sorry, Alan.
The WTF?, or Just Go Away –Forever– Award: (Tie) Kanye West, Miley Cyrus and U2
Next time: The best of the best for 2000-2009.